FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week's notable person is Mark Egeland, Partner, and General Manager, Catrikes.

Mark grew up in South-Western Minnesota and has been Vikings football fan since the days of Fran Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters. If you know that, you know he's willingly subjected himself to years of emotional grief.

Trained as a civil engineer, he realized he wanted to design more than dirt, roads, and retention ponds so he became a professional mapper and cartographer. In 2007 he became a partner and General Manager at Catrike and has helped the company grow exponentially ever since. He's most passionate about design and manufacturing and loves being involved in the product development process.

Egeland says, "To be involved in new product development from conception to manufacturing is very rewarding. Design thinking keeps me coming to work with energy and compassion. The entire process of prototyping with the criteria of design for manufacturing and assembly; how to design something that is make-able. Catrike offers products that are complex in their simplest form that every dealer wants to sell and the end users get products they want to ride every day"

We hope you enjoy this week's Banjo Brothers Five Things.

BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU RIDING?

ME: I am a fan of boutique brands and in love with my Spot bikes, I ride the city with my belt drive Rallye SS and have been replacing my road rides with gravel alternatives on my 1X11 version. It is crazy fun still riding with a spirited pack but there are bumps and unknows in the terrain that keeps you focused and you don’t have to worry about being flattened by a disgruntled driver who is late for church.

BANJO BROS: WHERE ARE YOU RIDING?

ME: The outdoors of Florida is a spectacle of beauty. There is a reason they filmed Tarzan movies here. Orlando Wetland Park and Lake Apopka loop have so many amazing birds, bobcats, coyotes and, of course, giant gators. And just riding through our city Orlando all year long. We have so much more than a rat and state full of codgers.

Oh man, this why I ride my bike(s) so I can eat more food. We really have some exceptional chefs in Orlando and I love supporting them and as a reward, I get to eat their amazing food.

BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

ME: As a bicycle manufacturer, I read a lot of leadership, Lean Six Sigma and super boring business-related content for the most part. I just made it through The Innovator’s Dilemma. I’m always looking for more information to keep Catrike growing and (Kaizen) improving all aspects of the business every day. Better products that are designed for manufacturing and assembly, better systems for sales and keeping the R&D team engaged with fresh new products and automation projects in the factory. Always the search for knowledge and rigorous work to keep our company on top and not being disrupted. I am also a fan of Neal deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye on Star Talk Radio.

BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU EATING/DRINKING?

ME: Oh man, this why I ride my bike(s) so I can eat more food. We really have some exceptional chefs in Orlando and I love supporting them and as a reward, I get to eat their amazing food. I am all over the place; I love a savory Smiling Bison burger or Bruno’s delectable Neapolitan Pizza. And I need to mention the real, damn good plant-based food of the Sanctum. They all are crusaders of high-quality-local sustainable nourishment. Indulging in good food is the fuel I need to keep up with the women and guys I ride with. Oh, and beer from local breweries, of course. I should have just said: Beer, Burgers, and Pizza!

BANJO BROS: WHAT'S STUCK IN YOUR CRAW?

ME: Anger is a useless emotion, but this unfortunate talk of tariffs on raw materials and the whole duty requirements on cassettes imported to the U.S. gets me going down that road. Thank you BPSA! How the #*@! are we going to convince startup entrepreneurs to manufacture products in the U.S. and reassure them they can be competitive in this global market with yet another hurdle to jump over. Or convince companies to bring manufacturing to the U.S., but I will tell everyone with best practices in good design and processes you can. And we will continue to make more life-changing products right here, in the U.S. to lift our community by providing meaningful competitive jobs and with our success, we know it is important to give back.

MORE ABOUT THE FIVE THINGS INTERVIEWS FROM BANJO BROTHERS

A big Banjo Brothers thank you to Mark Egeland of Catrike for participating in this week's edition of Banjo Brothers' Five Things. These short interviews about life and bicycles will appear every Friday on the Banjo Brothers Blog. If you liked this FIVE THINGS from Banjo Brothers you should check out our full series of past five things interviews.